Caritas Peru was founded on 4 October 1955 with the name Caritas Peruana and in 1959 the name was change to Caritas del Perú. It currently has a network of 48 diocesan Caritas and concentrates its efforts in seven programmatic areas, including:

Promotion of integral social development: improvement of the nutrition and health conditions of families, with special attention paid to mothers and infants under three years of age; implementation of protection actions and social inclusions programmes on behalf of vulnerable groups affected by poverty, the disabled and the elderly; and promotion of high-quality education via literacy, rural education and technical training programmes, among others.

Productive economic development: via promotion of production activities and production chains, encouragement of sustainable entrepreneurship, and building capacities and skills, as well as development of local markets, agricultural diversification and partnership.

Emergencies: through raising people’s awareness and permanent contact with government authorities in order to identify areas of risk and thus prevent, mitigate and respond to disasters that occur at national level. At the same time, Caritas organises and coordinates solidarity campaigns to deal with emergencies, and is active in the reconstruction process via micro-loans and legal advice, among other things.

Integral management of the environment: actions are geared towards raising awareness among companies and social actors of climate change and the need to apply clean technologies. Programmes regarding reforestation, soil conservation, appropriate water management and treatment of residual solid waste and effluents are also promoted.

In addition to public institutions, Caritas Peru maintains close ties with national and international private companies, as well as with other members of the Caritas network in the United States and Europe.

Caritas Updates from Peru

The Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM) aims to create a training programme for community leaders and pastoral workers in the Amazon region, who have an extensive track record in protection and may thus respond to the challenges highlighted by the Pope.

Following the momentum gained at the September climate summit, hosted in New York by the UN Secretary General, Catholic organisations united their voices to ask Governments for a firm commitment to reduce climate-warming emissions, facilitate adaptation programmes to the benefit of the poorest and comply with their promises for adequate public climate finance.